Bonus Chapters for Winged Ones
by LilleahWest aka TheBeastcub
Summary: Material I felt would clutter the actual fanfic but is great for reading on the side, most of it is comical and lighthearted.
1. Winged Ones - Ch1 Extension

IWith peace restored to the world, and a new future upon the land, Link was given the chance to live out his childhood in peace but his life had been forever changed.

Link tried to enjoy the childhood that had been returned to him, to live those seven years he lost once beforeBut he had been an adult, a warrior, he had seen much hardship and he carried this hardship with him

The boy felt too out of place in the Kokiri forest, having seen so much of the outside world and its hardships Link felt as if his presence destroyed the innocence of the land which held the eternal children of the forest...

But the young hero had another reason to leave he wanted to find his dear friend who had vanished without a word or a trace when peace was restored to the land.

Link did go in search for her... and in the process ended up in a very unfamiliar place.  
He had stumbled upon a passage to this other world by accident while searching the Lost Woods.  
In this new land Link became an unsung and forgotten hero once again. He was not gone for long, not much longer than three days, but to our hero this journey felt more like lifetime as he faced each day with sickening dejavou. His days repeating, reliving the dangers of the world, reliving the sorrow of others and sharing their anguish over the world's end, and end which Link fought to prevent

In this land Link experienced the end of the world time and time again. Healing lost and broken souls and taking on their forms so he could restore peace to the loved ones they left behind.

And in the end he had returned empty handed, and he returned with an even greater emptiness in his heart as he left new friends behind and carried with him the memories of this land filled with death and loss.  
The only thing remotely uplifting that Link gained during his trial of time in this other land were the many masks he had obtained, these masks remained as the only proof he was ever in the land of Termina

When Link returned to Hyrule he built a lean-to outside Lon Lon Ranch.  
He had hoped to stay with Malon, to live in the barn and take on the roll of a stable hand but the weary hero found that she had made a new friend in his absence, a boy, the young lad who in the future that almost was became the potion shop keeper Kakariko village.

The sense of belonging Link once felt at the ranch, the place where he used to seek shelter and sleep alongside Epona in the future that almost was, the feeling of sanctuary he used to have in the barn...had vanished.  
He could see her new friendship was already stronger than what meager relationship Link ever had with the ranch girl...a relationship that was lost in a future that only the likes of Link were forced to remember.../I

Link had been missing for quite some time, and when Zelda did finally receive news of the young hero she was not happy to learn of the boy's current whereabouts. She disapproved of the fact that Link was living alone in the wilderness, and so she came out in person to invite him to live in the castle.

Zelda became even more upset when she saw for herself just how lowly the hero's existence had become. The shanty that the boy was calling home was not fit for an animal let alone for her hero, and his unkempt and woesome appearance troubled her deeply.

Impa and Zelda stared at the green clad youth, his expression was listless, his eyes tired. The boy's clothes were torn and dirty, his body covered in scars with a fresh wound on his arm.

"I" she started and then paused. Zelda stared at the blood, not sure what to say. She had not seen him for almost a year and this is not the sight she had expected to see."You're bleeding, what happened."

"I got careless, nothing more."

The following silence was sickening.

Impa stepped forward.  
"Don't I want to ask him." the princess chirped. "Link, come stay at the castle, please."  
"No."  
"Come on, you cannot be comfortable living like this! I mean that is your house? A tattered cloth held up by deku sticks? It may be fine now but come winter you'll be sleeping in mud!"  
"I've slept in worse." he said flatly, remembering the night he spent in the Shadow Temple during his heroics in the future that almost was.

Zelda was still stern "And what about food?"  
"I get by, it's no different than how I lived before."  
"But you don't have to live like before anymore, this is a new futurecome on, just come home with me for a while, at least for one night. A hot bath, a soft bed, a real meal."  
Link looked at her with his tired blank eyes.  
Zelda puffed up "Fine then, do it for Epona if not for yourself. She looks a little thin and her coat is a mess, if you two came home with me she'd get fresh oats and a proper grooming."

The reclusive hero looked over at the young horse, the only companion that connected his past and current lifehe then looked back to the princess.

Zelda reached down to take the boy's handLink accepted her did so with a cold look in his eyes...

The young hero planned to stay only until he got what he needed to build a cabin in the group of trees between the entrance to the Kokiri forest and lake Hylia. Link wanted to build his own little sanctuary where he could be alone, with a lock on the door to keep everyone from meddling in his life, like Zelda was doing just now.

But days turned into weeks, and Link remained at the castle, awkwardly adapting to palace life. He spent most of his time in the field out back with Epona, he refused to sleep in any of the spare rooms and instead slept in an empty stall just as how he used to sleep in the barn of Lon Lon Ranch in the future that almost wasand if it weren't for Zelda's constant encouragement he likely would have never left the barn.

Alongside dealing with his new place at the palace Link also had to adapt to his returning friendship with the Princess Zelda.

The young princess surprised Link with how outgoing she was. When out of the public's eye she went from being a primp and proper princess, to being a troublemaker and tomboy, to being a mere child. As time went by at the castle Link found himself somewhat envious of the princess Zelda's behavior showed that she was in a sense stronger than Link for she had managed to let go of the harsh past she had gained in the future that almost was and had allowed herself to enjoy being a kid again.

Zelda often tried to share her regained childhood with the young hero, but he always shook off her advances and instead watched her from the shadows with those listless eyes. It pained the princess to see how battle weary Link had become. She tried to get him to open up, to talk about what went on in that year since they last saw each otherbut he hardly talked at all, let alone shared his feelings.  
She did everything she could to try and get him to open up, including trying to respark his sense of adventure, sneaking out of the castle whenever possible, and dragging Link along with her.

"Why the hell do I have to come." Link snarked as he crept through the dark courtyard.  
"Because, you have been doing nothing but mope around the castle, a change of scenery would be good for you." Zelda said with a forced cheerful tone  
She had hoped that Link would have perked up by nowWhen the princess first brought the young hero home she figured Link's behavior was just due to a lack of food and sleep, from living alone in the roughBut it's been weeks now and he still seems so withdrawn.

A figure watched them in perfect silence from the wall above, her red eyed gaze following their every move. Unlike the guards Impa had no interest in keeping the two from escaping the castle, unlike them she knows that these two are not children who need to be protected or coddled.

Instead she watched them quietly, studying the young hero of time. The boy concerns her, for the way he lingers around the castle reminded the wizened Sheikah of a feral animal.

Like a feral animal he sulks in the shadows and watches everything around him with a look of distrustHis senses and mind so accustomed to constantly being on edge that his nerves have become frayed and numbhis emotions calloused.

She watched the young princess pick her way through the darkness, to a hole in the garden wall, knowing this adventure was the girl's way of trying to reach out to this feral child. The sage of shadow watched from above, hoping that Zelda's attempts may one day break the gloom that follows the heroImpa felt that Zelda may be the only one who can help, for she and Link share the same history While the sages may remember the future that almost was, their experiences do not compare to that of the two children of destiny.  
Impa hoped that through their shared destiny Zelda may be able to help the hero of time see and enjoy the peace he had restored the world.

"Why do you even bother to sneak out like this. You've seen all of Hyrule, there is nothing left to explore" Link whispered begrudgingly as he followed the princess through the same courtyard he'd snuck through once beforeback when his quest as a hero was new and exciting.

"Even if I have seen all of Hyrule sneaking out is better than lofting around here. The castle is so boring, when I was this age in the future that almost was, I was already running around exploring as a Sheikah."

Link stopped, his face and tone were quite gruff "Ya wanaa know what I was doing when I was last this ageFor seven years I sleptand I might as well be doing that nowThe world does not need me anymore, and even if it did I'm not sure if I'd fight to save it."

Zelda's brows furrowed, she'd had enough of the boy's cold nature, she got right up into his face and scolded in a whispering tone "Damn it Link! Do you think you are the only one who's had a tough time!" she pulled up her sleeves revealing rows of scars, marks she had not shown to anyone "I put my life on the line as well, while you slept I lived on the edge of existence in hiding from Ganon. I may be a princess again but I was once a warrior of Hyrule the same as you and like you these scars did not vanish when time was reset."

Link sat in shock. The boy stared at the marks on her arms, he then glanced down at his own scared limbshe smiled.  
Zelda was taken aback by this, it was not what she was expecting and furthermore this was the first time she had seen him smile since the boy's return.

"Come on, lets get going, we are wasting moonlight." Link whispered, passing the princess. "Lets head over to the Lost Woods tonightI want to tell you of a land called Termina."  
"Okay." She said brightly with a broad smile.  
The change she felt in him just now may be subtle but, this felt more like the hero she used to know.

Impa above smiled as well, the Sheikah then set off to see what she could do about causing a delay between the night and morning guards so that the two may sneak back in with less of fuss this time.


	2. Bonus for Chapter 16

This takes place before chapter 16, about a month before Chirin has the nightmare.

~

It is early spring in Hyrule. Winter has finally released its grasp and the weather is warming, but still quite wet. The grass has become green again, however the trees, as usual, were slow to follow and still quite bare of leaves.

~

On this day Zelda had set off to the market town early that morning to check in on how a new shop was coming along. Aryll was playing in the yard, happy to be outside again considering how much it had rained the day before. Impa was still training some new recruits, and Chirin had been training himself since late that morning. And Link had been checking in on all four of them all day amidst his own work.

~

The day was already half over when Chirin came back in from training. Link was sitting at the table taking care of some paperwork, and Navi was sorting documents.

The king did not take his eyes off the text as he spoke "Aryll is on the shed crying again, can you go get her down?"

"No."

Navi dropped a paper, Link blinked "It's not like you to be mean to your sister."

"This is what, the third time this week? I am pretty sure she gets stuck up there on purpose. Let her stay stuck for once, maybe she'll stop." He honestly did hate to leave her up there, but at the same time he was getting annoyed with having to get her down every other day.

Link smirked, he knew Aryll did it on purpose, and that her tears were fake as well. He continued to look at his son, Chirin tried to hold his ground "I am going to go lay down for a while. My magic practice earlier wore me out" he looked at his father "I'm tired okay?Some one else can get her down this time"

The king went back to reading "Fine, I'll tell your mother that she needs to get the ladder back from the gardeners. I bet she'd love to know why you were mean to your sister."

Chirin stiffened "You wouldn't"

Link smiled "Well, with how your mother has been fussing over my spring molt this year, I'd love to get her attention off me for a whileYelling at you should work." he shook one wing and a few loose feathers drifted to the floor.

Chirin frowned I"He would do it!" /Ithe boy thought. He sighed "FineI'll fly up there and get her down. Maybe if I wrap some wire around the tree it will keep her from getting on the shed."

Link smiled as his son walked away, he then frowned a bit because this meant Zelda was still going to rant about how the castle is covered in feathers

Aryll was sitting on the shed snibbling. When the girl saw Chirin she smiled for a second and then cried harder, milking this for all it was worth.

Chirin sighed a heavy tired sighhe really did need a nap and took on his Tenshioni form. Aryll watched with glee as the red and blue marks graced his face, his hair became silvery white and huge wings came forth. Chirin half jumped, half flew, the ten feet needed to top the shed and then sat on the roof next to her.  
Aryll was confused, he normally just picks her up and flies down.

"Why do you do this?" he asked flatly.  
She stiffened and did not say anything for a moment. The girl's stance relaxed as her wee brain came up with what to say.

"Can you fly me to the top of the castle?"

Chirin was shocked, this is not at all what he expected to hear.  
"What? No way! Mom would kill me!"

"PleaseI want to see more of Hyrulemommy says I am still too young to go past the market town"

Chirin paused and looked at her with surprised eyes "Is that why you keep climbing up on things? You want to get high enough to see the world outside the castle?"

"Uh-huh" this was partly true, she also just likes seeing her brother's wingsand likes making a game out of it versus simply asking to see them.

"Wellif you promise to quit climbing up onto the shed"

"I will I will!" until she forgets her promise at least.

"but don't you ever tell mom! And hold on tight."

Once he was content that no one was watching, Chirin scooped her up and flew to the tallest point.

The instant he set her down Aryll motioned as if she were going to run to the edge.  
"Oh not you don't." he said, completely expecting her to do just that, he pulled her back and sat down all in one motion, planting Aryll right in his lap and wrapping his wings around the both of them "You get to sit and look." she snuggled into his feathers and giggled, Chirin smiled warmly.

As the two sat atop the castle Link inside grew concerned, it was too quiet outside, he got up and went to check. The hero grew more worried when he found no one in the yard. But just as Link was about to head inside to track down his prince and little princess he heard Aryll giggle from afar. "Hey, look." said Navi flying over so as to point out the source of the sound. The winged king spied his children on the roof and smiled "I guess I'd better go keep Zelda busy for while, she'd have a fit." Link whispered to Navi, not wanting this precious moment of sibling bonding to be ruined in even the smallest way.

"I did not see the world till I was eight."

"Eight?!" she counted on her fingers "That is so many numbers away!"

"Well dad did not see the world outside the forest he grew up in until he was ten."

"Wow ten! Mommy better not make wait that long."

"Well, look at it this way." he smiled at her "Waiting is half the funit makes it more special to have to wait."

"Like how our birfthdays are one time a year?"

"Yes, like that."

She tapped her toes together as she pondered this "Okay, it is more special if I have to wait. The market town is boring now, I don't want the whole world to be boring too soon."

Chirin laughed.  
They watched the sunset for a moment longer  
"Come on, lets hurry up and get down before mom comes and finds us for dinner."

"Okay. I hope we has smashed potatoes again! I want to make another gravy volcano!"

"Just try not to get any on the floor this time."

She giggled "I don't do it on purpose, the food jumps off my plate."

"Whatever you say." Chirin smirked as he stood up and held Aryll close.

He glided down carefully. Chirin was still worried about getting caught, he stayed close to the building, so he could claim Aryll had climbed up to a lower section of the roof and he was rescuing her if they got spotted.

But then, just as he got within ten feet of the ground. "Chirin!" came Zelda's voice from afar.

The boy practically jumped out of his skin. Chirin was so startled that he unwittingly dispelled his wings. The prince caught his arm on the tile edge of the patio roof as they fell, and hit the muddy grass flat on his back with a spluttering thud.

"Big brother are you okay!" she stammered, a bit shaken from the fall and further shaken to see his arm was bleeding. She carefully climbed off of him and stood next to the prince who was now laying in the mud.  
He coughed, the blow had knocked the wind out of him for a second. He sat up and looked around, their mother was no where to be seen. Chirin then looked at himself. "I'm finebut I think I need a bath." Aryll giggled.

He stiffly got up and then they walked back to the palace.

"Woooo! Another feather!" she said running ahead and picking up an unnaturally huge white quill from the grass "With all the feathers I have found I could make myself some wings! So I can be just like you and daddy!"

Chirin looked at its size I"That's one of dad'sdid he see us up there?"/I the boy thought as he looked up to where they just were. The prince grinned I"I bet he did."/I Chirin continued to smile, the boy knew he would remain safe from his mother's wrath.

At the door he had Aryll take off her dirty, soggy shoes. Chirin stripped off everything but his pants and long sleeve shirt, leaving the rest outside so as to track less mud through the palace.

"Oh for Din's sake! What have you two been up to this time?" Zelda blurted as she saw them come in.

Chirin looked at Aryll with eyes that screamed 'keep your mouth shut.'  
He reached up to scratch the back of his head, the prince's typical nervous response. But as he touched his hair Chirin stiffened, he'd forgotten that his head was coated in cold thick mud "Uh, wellAryll tossed her ball into a tree and I climbed up to get itand I fell."

"And you cut yourself on what?"

"A branch"

She looked at him for a minute, the queen had a strong hunch he was not being truthful "Well, that shirt is beyond mending." she said, looking at the tear that was surrounded by a huge stain of red. Zelda sighed and looked at him with somewhat sad eyes "I am sick and tired of stitching my boys back together every time they get hurt Have Impa look at your arm if you think it needs tending, I am not going to do it this time."

"But mother" he started to protest, then stopped, he knew better than to say anything right at the same time he still did not want Impa to come anywhere near his arm Impa's method of treating injuries is very straightforward and very much lacks a gentle touch. "ManI hope I don't need stitches" he whispered under his breath.  
"What's that."  
Chirin jumped. Impa grabbed his arm and tore the sleeve, she spread the cut wider to see how deep it was, Chirin yelped like a kicked puppy.  
"Nah, it's large but shallow. This will leave a scar, but it's not worthy of stitches. Just clean it and wrap it."  
Chirin stood there and held his arm, still in a bit of shock over suddenly being manhandled. I"When the hell did she come up behind me?!"/I the boy thought to himself.

"Granny." the Sheikah scooped her up "Can we work on my garden? I want to move the red flowers but mommy says I can't us the garden tools when by myself."  
"That's because you'd dig us a new moat if we left them within your reach." Impa joked, Aryll giggled.

Zelda watched them head off to the garden in the central courtyard, the same courtyard where she and Link first met. She then looked at Chirin, who was still standing there with mud drying to his skin and blood running down his arm. Zelda smiled as her son absentmindedly inspected his injury, which was now bruising around the edges "You are so much like your father" she said in a soft endearing voice "What?" he looked up, Chirin did not really hear what she said.  
Zelda started down the hall "I said, go and take a bath. I will get you clean clothes, no need for you track mud down more than one hallwayOh and dinner is in an hour."

~

After more than an hour, and after getting cleaned up, Chirin walked into the dining hall. "There you are." his mother piped "You took so long that I feared you had fallen asleep and drowned." The boy stiffened, she was not too far from the truth, she had the 'fallen asleep' part righthe did nod off for a while in the tub.

The prince yawned and took his seat, hoping dinner would help wake him up.

The sound of small scuttling feet reached his ears "There's my little monster!" The queen said as Impa and Aryll returned from the garden.

Aryll crouched down and began to stomp, growling, playing pretend. She then ran up to Zelda who scooped the little girl up, spun her around playfully, and then planted Aryll into her chair.  
At first the desert colored princess smiled at her plate, until she saw the mound of vegetables. Aryll sat and scowled at them as if her dirty look could make them disappear.

The queen whispered in her adopted daughter's ear "If you eat them all you can have a slice of hoi pear pie."

Aryll's eyes grew wide, she dug out a big spoonful from the pile of greens and choked it down.

Link came in and loosened his collar, glad to be done with work for the dayand doubly glad it was time to eat. He sat down and took off his crown, revealing Navi, who was nestled in his hair, sound asleep.  
Link picked up a biscuit and held the freshly baked, sweet smelling nugget of goodness close to her. Navi awoke with a pleasant start and migrated over to the lump of bread. Link set the biscuit next to his crown. He watched as Navi sat atop the warm lump of baked bread and happily munched away.  
"So, Chirin. Are you going up to Kaepora's this week?" He started stacking mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"Yeah, as soon as tomorrow if that is okay. I may stay overnight again too."

"I have no qualms about it. What is he teaching you at the moment?"

"How to mass transport with Farore's Wind."

"Mass transport?" Link had never heard of this. Neither had Zelda, she looked up from the paperwork she was going over while eating, multitasking as usual.

"Yeah, it's quite hard. Last time, I finally managed to take a cuccoo with me, but this week we are aiming to take a cow"

"Moo!" Aryll blurted as she carved her mash potatoes into a cone shape. Chirin looked over at the leaning tower of spuds next to him, and wondered how long it would take to clean the floor this timehe then began to hope none of it would get on him instead of the floor.

Chirin reached over for a biscuit and then continued "However, I am going to insist we just use more cuccoos first taking one simple bird along with me using the spell, left me unable to cast magic again for almost an hour."

"Mass transport sounds exhausting."

"It is, and it Ihurts/Ithe more I try to take with me, and the further I try to go, the greater the drain isFrankly, I am not looking forward to practicing with the cow."

"So, even you still feel the effects of using magic? Farore's Wind is not that easy for me to use either, and I avoid using itUnlike you and your mother, magic does not come natural to meand that spell in particular affects me a lotBut, I am surprised that you have any problems with magic, you are the holder of the Triforce."

"Well Kaepora and I talked about that. It seems the true nature of the Triforce is not to grant power, but rather to change the world according to those who claim it. Ganon wanted to make a dark change in the world, and even with only a third of it he did so much. Kaepora says that my desire for the world was that of happiness and peace, and so things pretty much just stayed the same."  
Chirin took a bite out of his stack of vegetables. Link smiled as he dipped a biscuit in gravyIt made the hero quite happy to hear what his son had just said, considering how hard he had worked to restore peace to the world.

Chirin swallowed and then continued.  
"But there were some changes to me after I claimed it.  
First of all my wings. The goddesses said something along the lines of 'he who reflects the one before in spirit, let him reflect the one before him in body as well because that is what fate wants'something like that. Anyway, my magic is far stronger as a Tenshioni, and without that magic combined with um, your magic that day, the fire demon would still be alive."

Chirin had almost said 'combined with the magic you had as a Tenshioni' but he quickly rephrased that, considering his father's current formWhich lacked both the strong magic and gift of flight that his true Tenshioni self used to have

The prince quickly moved on to the next topic "But there is one other thing, it seems that I cannot use Nayru's Love. Kaepora thinks it's because I sort of well, its as if that spell is always turned on. I dunno the specifics, but he thinks this because of the way I was protected from the fire demon's blast. Considering that, along with similar instances, well I seem to be immune to harm by dark magic."

"But you're not emun to other things." Aryll said as she reached over and poked the cut on Chirin's arm.  
The boy jumped and yipped.  
"Please don't do that." he said with flat exasperation. She tried not to giggle but could not help it, his reaction was too funny.

She stood in her chair and reached over for the gravy boat, she poured almost all of it onto her potato mountain, making volcano sound effects as gravy soaked everything on her plate.

"Aryll, honey." Zelda sighed "I think you are getting a little too old to play with your food."

"Nuh uh." She said, taking a bite of her spudsy masterpiece.

Zelda smiled at her slyly "Oh, and when I said you could have pie after you 'eat them all' I meant the whole plate of food, not just the vegetables."

The girl's eyes grew wide. Aryll looked at the contents of her plateeverything was drowning in gravy and looked gross. She whined and slumped into her chair.

Chirin snickered.  
When Zelda was not looking the prince reached over and took a big spoonful of her gravyfied vegetables and ate it. Aryll looked over at him, shocked at first, but then smiled warmly.

~

After dinner Chirin went with Aryll to her room, to play with his sister for a while before bed. Neither of them really remember just when this routine started, it just sort of happened slowly over time, and both are glad to uphold their little tradition whenever they can.

Tonight his little adopted sister wanted to string up some bead charms, and then have Chirin read her more of the book they had been working on finishing since autumn.

About two hours later Zelda and Link came by to tuck Aryll into bed, but as the royal couple set foot in the doorway they stopped and smiled.  
Their children were sprawled out on the floor, Chirin was propped against the bed with both the book and Aryll in his lap.  
Each of them were sound asleep.

Link put his arms around his princess's shoulders, Zelda leaned her head against her king.

"Lets not disturb them, Chirin will surely tend to her when he wakes up." Link whispered.  
"We are lucky to have such a wonderful son." she sighed.  
"I am lucky to have my wonderful little family." he grinned  
Zelda smiled a bittersweet smile, 'little family' she had hoped for a large family, and she knew Link wished for the samethat his longing for a larger family was greater than her own  
Link hugged her tighter "I am perfectly content with just two. I feel blessed to have my own son and our adopted little treasure." he whispered. Zelda jumped a bit, but then grinned widely Once again, he knew exactly what she was thinking.

~

The royal couple went back to their own room and got themselves ready to bed down for the night. Navi busied herself by following a spider around the ceiling, in these peaceful times the fairy has found herself easily amused by the simplest things.

"GodsI look awful" Link said as he stood in front of the mirror wearing nothing more than baggy white pants. The feathered king has long since given up the fuss of nightshirts. "How can the Tenshioni even fly during the molt?"

"Do they fly when molting?"

He paused "I have no clue" he laughed "But with how bare my wings look I wonder if they are ground bound for a while in the spring. Next time I see Kaepora I will have to askhmmm, maybe Chirin knows?"

Another feather fell off "Man I am just falling apart this year!" he said, picking it up and putting it on the dresser under the mirror. "But at least the new ones are coming in already." Link said as he spread one wing wide and examined his reflection, he could see the new quills which would soon blossom into fresh feathers. He smiled a little, from past experience he knew that these quills would yield new feathers anytime now, maybe even as soon as morning.

"Well as scruffy as you look now, you needed to molt. Your old feathers were all beat up and broken" She looked at him and smiled "I personally cannot wait to see your wings back to their old sheen again." Link blushed, not expecting this comment from her.  
Navi above stifled a giggle.

~

The castle fell quiet as the world fell asleep.

Later on, sometime near midnight, Chirin finally woke upand found that Aryll was gone.

The prince tried to stay calm as he silently checked the first places she'd likely be. When the first three places failed to yield results, he checked the fourth most likely place. The field.

When he found Aryll she was curled up in the center of Epona's back, sound asleep. As the old grayed mare continued to graze Aryll began to slip. Chirin took on his winged form and tore across the field  
She hit the grass before he got there.

The Gerudo girl awoke with a start. The impact knocked the wind out of her and caused Aryll to panic for a moment. Chirin dispelled his wings and crouched down in the grass, he put a hand to her back to help his adopted sister sit up. He was dearly concerned, hoping nothing was broken. As she regained her breath Aryll forced out a whimper, but she did not cry

"Are you okay?!"

"my butt hurts" she whined sleepily and rubbed her eyes.  
Chirin was relieved, unlike himself at her age Aryll only cried when honestly hurt. And so, since she was not crying, he knew she'd get over her bumps and bruises all too quickly.

Epona stuck her nose into Chirin's thick hair. He put a hand to the side of the mare's face "It's okayit wasn't your fault. Epona." The prince put his forehead flat against hers and stroked the old horse. After saying goodnight to his life-long friend, he then looked back to his sister.

"Come on, it's past bedtime why are you even out here anyway?"

"Those." she said pointing to the sky.

He looked up "The stars?"

"Yes I love them." she yawned.

They sat for a moment and gazed at the sky.  
"I love them too..." He smiled "Now come on, mom would have a fit if she found us out here."

Chirin scooped her up, Aryll sleepily nuzzled into his shirt as the prince made his way back to the castle. She was asleep in his safe warm arms before he even reached the patio.

As he went down the hall, the young prince of Hyrule saw his father leaning against the wall outside the master bedroom, smiling at him.  
Chirin smiled whole heartedly in return, and then set off to tuck his tenacious little sister into bed.

Link was outside the room because he was once again having a hard night's sleep, haunted by the unrest of his torn form.  
He had actually seen what happened in the fieldWhen Link decided to just get up and go out for a moonlight stroll, he did not expect to have such a simple bit of comfort grace his presence.  
The weary king went back to bed, able to sleep easier now, after having his heart warmed by the bond of his family.

Link carefully crawled back onto the mattress next to Zelda. He left his blankets aside and instead laid atop one wing and cloaked himself in the other.

The king snuggled into his soft new feathers and sighed contently, feeling forever grateful to have his princess by his side, and to be blessed with both his own son and his adopted little treasure.  
He fell asleep long before the deep rooted sense of darkness and loss was able to haunt him once again.

Link's family, really is the greatest gift life ever gave him.


	3. Aerial Combat Lessons

This bonus takes place sometime after chapter 15

XXXXXXX

Chirin was in his gifted winged form, for he loves the cold as a Tenshioni far more than as a Hylian.

"I see your father has entrusted you with his Oni Blade." Said Kaepora as they entered the hall.  
"Yes, he says it rightfully belongs to me now since it is a Winged One's weaponand he cannot wield it in the sky any longer"  
"What he speaks is true, such a sword is made for combat off the ground. A shield is clumsy in the air and gives one too much wind resistance, hence the multiple bladed style; it creates less weight and resistance than a solid item with equal width, and the combined width of the blades in of itself can be a shield. Furthermore due to our wings the blade needs to be longer to reach an opponent beyond the span on beating feathers."  
"So there is some truth behind what he said? I thought Dad gave it to me just because he could not use it very well."  
Kaepora chuckled "Well your father was not exactly an expert at wielding it, on the ground or in the air, and I imagine that is why he sent you to do some training with us."

As they made their way down the shadowed hall, another Winged One came into view. He was holding a large sword over one shoulder, it was similar in color and shape to Chirin's except the double helix was interrupted by a straight silver blade down one side.

"Chirin, This is Hoskit" Kaepora stated "He will be your aerial combat instructor."

"He's my instructorb-" Chirin started to say aloud I"but he's missing half of one wing"/I the boy thought to himself I"and his armor it's all burnt and beat upand what's up with that long sleeve, is his arm missing t-"/I Chirin's gaze wandered up as he thought this last phrase. The words running through his mind ceased as he made eye contact with the battle scarred Tenshioni.

Hoskit did not say a word, only motioned for the boy to unhitch his sword and follow. Chirin stood there with cold feet, not knowing what to think of this entire arrangement. He felt rather awkward, the boy has never met anyone with more than just a scar before and could not help but stare, and being caught starting left him extremely uncomfortable to even be around HoskitNot to mention the fact that the boy did not understand how a one winged Tenshioni was going to be any good at teaching aerial combat.

"How old are you boy?"  
Chirin stiffened at his words as they walked down the corridor to the snow covered field.  
"I-I just turned twelve."  
"Have you ever fought with a sword before?"  
"Y-yes."  
"Have you ever fought one-on-one with a person?"  
"With my dad, yeah."  
"In the air?"  
"NoOnly on the groundHe did not keep the ability to fly very long, and well, we never really got around to that before it happened."  
"Well ground combat is a good start, but you will soon find that things are quite different once the ground is taken out of the equation."  
Chirin kept silent for a moment as they walked "Sirwho will I be sparring with in the air today?"  
"Me." He said flatly.  
Chirin's steps paused for a moment but he quickly caught himself, hoping Hoskit did not notice his reactionThe Tenshioni had noticed, and grinned slightly.

They made their way out to the center of the field. "Now then." Hoskit stuck the blade in the ground and lowered his hand. A green glow began to form within Hoskit's fingers. With a small boom the glow began to encircle what remained of his right wing, ruffling his feathers like wind from a strong updraft. He grasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it from the ground "Lets get started, I can only handle about twenty minutes before I need a break." with a strong motion of his left wing Hoskit took to the sky, grinning down at the stunned Chirin.

The boy stammered for a minute and then lifted off.

"Now come at me. Give me your best shot."  
Chirin swung and missed, the saddest thing about this wasHoskit did not even move.  
The one-Winged-One did not say a thing, only looked at Chirin. The boy cringed, there was something about his gaze that gave Chirin all the correction he needed.  
"I'll try harder next time."  
"Good. Now try again."  
This time metal met metal, Hoskit hardly had to make any motion to entirely block the boy's blow.  
"Better, but still extremely weak. Again."  
Chirin was already getting the hang of this and felt confident with his next movethis confidence though was cast off as quickly and easily as Hoskit cast aside his blowand this time, Hoskit returned the attack.

The one winged warrior was defiantly holding back as he came at the boy, allowing Chirin to block his blows so that the youngster could get a feel for the motions of such a large sword combined with the motion of a body freed from the resistance of ground beneath his feet.

"When you moveYou need to use your entire body not just your wings. Throw your weight around. And use your legs, toss them to the side to help sharpen your turn, spread them wide to help absorb a blow and keep yourself from being thrown back."

After about fifteen minutes of this Chirin was out of breath.  
"Seems you need a break before I do. Lets land and take a breather."  
As soon as the boy's feet hit the ground his butt soon followed as he let himself fall into the snow.  
"Not as easy as it looks huh." said the Tenshioni warrior  
"No." he said flatly.  
The one-Winged-One jammed the blade into the ground again. With a motion of his hand Hoskit dispelled his special casting of Farore's Wind and the swirl of updraft ruffling the feathers of his left wing grew silent.

"Without the ground to brace against, you have to relearn how to start and stop momentum. You also have to consider the fact that your body tires more quickly, the beat of a wing takes more effort physically and mentally than the shift of a foot. And also" he pulled the sword free from the ground again "your grip on the hilt stinks. Lets do some ground combat before we take to the air again." He looked at Chirin who seemed unhappy with this.

Hoskit looked at him firmly "You said you have used a blade in one-on-one combat before, but it was not with this sword was it."  
Chirin blinked "How could you tell?"  
"I could telleasily."

Hoskit swung the blade up and rested it over one shoulder, he then looked down to catch Chirin unwittingly staring at his right arm again.  
"It's gone." Hoskit said flatly  
Chirin's body jumped "S-sorry I did not mean to stare" he stammered.

Hoskit's voice held no malice "Well when something is new and unanswered you cannot help but stare, people are curious creatures, it's natural to want to know why I'm different."

Chirin shifted uncomfortably, Hoskit smirked and let out a small scoffing laugh. "I have been living limbless for years now, it's no offence to me at this point to have anyone gawk at my appearance. But, if I tell you what happened to me, maybe it will make you more comfortable.

bHoskit's Back-story:/b

Hoskit is one of few survivors from the attack of the Fire Demon. He was one of the best, if not the very best, Tenshioni solider in the time before the incident. His very survival is testament of his skill, for the attack that Hoskit barely managed dodge, despite his once legendary speed and a agility, killed everyone else on his team.

He still wears his old armor, which bears the scorch marks of that fateful day, in honor of the memory of his fallen comrades.  
In the days before the incident Hoskit's hair was cropped short. He has decided to never cut it again, to allow its length to measure out the years he almost lost.

He was not born left handed but as you can see Hoskit had no choice but to adopt a left handed life and sword style. The arm was lost half way down the humerus, and everything past the first third of the ulna/radius of his right wing was also lost. The blast grazed him from the side, first taking out his wing before maiming his armhad he not been wearing armor Hoskit surely would have died that day.

Despite the loss of nearly half a wing he still has some flight capabilities. A Tenshioni's flight depends equally on both their naturally strong magic abilities and physical characteristics*. Hence why our story's hero was hoping to one day restore flight to his smaller wings, but he has never had a strong knack for magic and what Hoskit accomplished was beyond our hero's skill.

Using a heavily modified casting of Farore's Wind Hoskit is able to create a pocket of updraft to his one side which helps make up for the loss of his primary feathers.

Relearning to fly with his wing so hindered was not easy and the results are still clumsy, a far cry form the unique agility he possessed in the past. He cannot stay airborne near as long as before, nor fly as high or fast...but Hoskit still proves to be a grand instructor in aerial combat.

The impressive flying abilities of his past may have been greatly reduced, but despite his handicap Hoskit is still equal to an average warrior in short-term aerial combat. Furthermore his swordsmanship when earthbound, his skills with casting magic, and his mind are all still considered superior to any of the remaining soldiers, hence why Hoskit is regarded as the head instructor.

Hoskit takes his responsibilities very seriously, approaching them with a blunt no-nonsense attitude, whilst teaching the ways of a winged warrior he does so with a firm guiding hand.  
His quiet and stern nature at first leads one to see him as the sort of instructor you do not want to fail out of fear of penalty, especially since he is quick to correct and seldom gives praise. But you quickly learn that he is far from harsh and instead Hoskit becomes the kind of teacher you seek to please, his students strive make him proud of their accomplishments.

Overall he has a fairly lighthearted, calm, quiet, personality. Hoskit is very lucky to even be alive and knows this. A hot summer's day outside their land of snow can cause a Tenshioni to fall ill rather quickly, let alone the heat from a blast of flame. Not only were his limbs beyond saving but he was very ill after the incidentHoskit nearly died both on the battlefield and days later at the turning point of his recovery.

Hoskit treasures each passing day, and tries to not let his damaged body slow him down. Learning to fight and fly again was a seemingly impossible task and yet he has managed to do just that within a five year time frame. Hoskit may never reclaim the grand warrior status he once had, but this one-Winged-One can take on any of the normal soldiers in a short aerial sparring match with no problem, and whoops their ass in ground combat.

It should be noted that he did not face his recovery alone. He had much support from his loving wife, his "new right hand" as his comrades call her, for she is always there for him.

Hoskit's comrades also dubbed him with an endearing nickname:  
"The one-Winged-One"  
Beyond being literal, it is also a play on words, based on how outsiders often refer to the Tenshioni race simply as The Winged Ones.


	4. CH 23 Bonus

This is inspired by a fan-made side story for my fanfic. See the artist's comment for more info. This is a rewrite and it's mostly my own text. But she set the foundation for me and I did keep some things the same because I loved her ideas.

~

Normally, I would not never touch on the subject of getting drunk with anything I do.

I am nearly 25 and yet have never had so much as a sip of beer. I have a strong aversion towards alcohol itself and what it can do to people... BUT milk in the Zelda games is a healing agent whereas alcohol is addictive and bad for you.

In this story the characters are experiencing an overload of the milk's healing and magic boosting effects on top of the fact it is late at night and they were already tired (the folk remedy for sleeplessness is warm milk after all)...as in I found a way for them act "drunk" off this milk and have it be far more innocent than alcohol.  
Had I not found a way to tame down the concept of getting tipsy on the milk I would not have posted this.

So I hope it does not offend anyone too much.

~

"Milk! It's miiiiilk! You can't get tipsy off of something like milk! *hic*"  
-Gorman, in the Milk Bar, Latte (Days 1 & 2, 10 PM - 4:59 AM)

Chapter 23 Bonus  
bThe Milk Bar/b

"Dad, are you sure I am old enough to have this stuff. I feel sick. Can't we just go back to the inn and go to bed?"

He laughed "The bartender thinks you are old enough and that's all what matters. I was so young when last in Termina that I had a hell of a time getting a hold of this brand, and with the time crunch I was under I needed it's magic boost.  
Normal milk just heals the body, but this stuff also boosts your magic and makes you feel kinda giddy if you have enough of itWell it's supposed to at least."  
He glanced at his son, who looked anything but giddy.  
"You probably just inherited your mother's taste buds! I think the reason she won't let me have this kind of milk is cause she's jealous. She doesn't react to it the same way I do, she hates it."

Chirin was staring at his glass, wondering how a perfectly innocent looking bottle of milk could do so much to one's nervous system

Link was still babbling happily.

"I bet she'd really hate this stuff. Lon Lon Ranch does have its own secret special blend that is too strong for kids, but it doesn't hold a candle to Termina's famous Chateau Romani. This stuff not only heals your body and fuels your magicit makes yer spirit feel pretty good too!  
I bet you can't find a single drink like it in the world!"

"I think I can believe that." he sneered "You know what, Dad? You can have mine. It will just go to waste."

"Aw, are you kidding? The night's only beginning! You have to drink more than that. You hardly had enough for the taste to even grow on you yet. This may be your only chance to have milk like this without moving out of the castle! It's not like we ever get a chance to sneak around and do stuff like this very often. Your mom has eyes in the back of her head, I swear..."

Chirin sat there and stared at Link, he was tired, this stuff tasted bad and it made him feel funny.  
But The winged hero had a wide silly grin on his face and his eyes were warm and happy.  
He had not seen his father in such a good mood for a long time. The prince knew that Link had expected this sneaky little secret outing together behind Zelda's back to be a great bonding experience for the both of them Chirin just couldn't say no to that face.

The boy looked to the bottle and choked the rest of the potent healing liquid down. He slumped into his seat and tried to look like he was enjoying himself...but he didn't think his father's idea of 'fun' was 'fun' at all.

It was clear that he had in fact inherited his mother's reaction to this kind of milk...and this reaction goes well beyond just taste.

The likes of the Chateau Romani both heals the body and boosts one's magic abilities.  
If the amount someone drinks exceeds their need for fueling magic then that power goes to aid the healing effect. But once one's body is fully recovered the milk starts to drown the subject's nerves and emotions with the sensation of healingOften leading to a blissful stupor.

However, Chirin and his mother already have such a strong sense of magic that the milk's boosting power is basically useless, and the stuff is so potent that the healing result becomes the opposite of a blissful stupor. The excessive strength of the recovery aspect quickly overloads their system and leaves their nerves and emotions fried.

I"I don't know how much more of this I can take...I was ready for bed before we came here and this stuff is not helping"/I the lad thought to himself as he silently watched his father finish off a second serving, hoping maybe Keaton would show up and save him from hurting his father's feelings.

"Ah! Excuse me, I'd like another refill! While you're at it get another for my son here."  
"Dad"  
"Don't worry about it, I brought plenty of rupees. Just don't ever let your mother know I allowed you have this much... or any for that matter."

Chirin couldn't help but notice that his father's wings had started to quiver. Maybe there was a limit even for kings. He began to worry whether he would even be able to travel tomorrow, or wake up for that matter.

"Your mother and her blasted secretShe won't tell me, and she'd never let me get close enough to find out on my own. Even if Zelda were knocked senseless while wearing that mask, I bet she'd strangle me while still unconscious if I tried anything!  
Maybe I could get Navi in on it. She's curious about this too. Andshe gets in and out of my hat without me knowing"

Chirin cringed I"Crap not this topic again."/I he thought to himself. The prince picked up his second glass and took a large gulp, hoping that maybe this stuff could numb his senses enough to drown out yet another awkward conversation concerning his mother's warrior form.

The boy started to feel his head get heavy, he was obviously not built for this stuff and that last drink was a big mistake.

Pushing the virulent material as far away from himself as possible, he got up and attempted to head toward the door, hoping to get to his bed before he passed out as a result of the late hours and his father's 'special treat'.  
Before he could get very far the boy found himself knocked back by his father's outstretched wing. Unfortunately, Link's nerves were so overloaded that he had no idea he'd overused his own strength; This was not the likes of his feathery love tap during their picnicthe force had thrown Chirin almost completely over the counter.

"Dad, you should probably... ugh stop now" the roughed up boy said as his feet found the floor.  
"Oh, don't worry. Like I said I have plenty of money. Don't let the amount left in the glass get in the way of enjoying it."  
"That's not quite what I meant."

Chirin plopped back into his seat, tempted to throw the glass holding the evil substance against the wall. The teen's emotions were clear on his face, even to the now overindulged Link.

"...You don't have to drink anymore if you don't like it." he said, an endearing smile lit his face "You are so much like your mother. Zelda wouldn't touch this stuff for a million rupees. The few times I'd ever had any she'd always insist I not drink the strong stuff, even though it is actually really good for you. Maybe I could convince her to join me for a friendly drink as a Sheikah, since she tends to loosen up in that formBut then again"  
Link's tone became less elated  
"maybe your mother is right. It's been a long time since I've had this strong stuff, I have not needed it. This kind of treat used to be the only thing that made me feel better, the only thing that let my spirit lighten up enough to feel the happiness I used to know as a boy.  
But as my princess became a deeper part of my life, I slowly found happiness again"

Link began to feel homesick at the thought of Zelda. He had not spent a night away from her side since they became prince and princess.  
His mind began to wander. Just being near her used to fill him with a sense of serenitybut now.  
Things had not been the same since he claimed his blended winged form That deep sense of happiness Link used to know as he stood alongside her had somehow faded.

"Am I more Hylian? Or more Tenshioni? By Farore, there's no way to know, is there? I suppose now I have more things in common with a cuccoo than I'd like being a flightless bird and all."

It was clear to Chirin that his father was caught up in a rather depressive train of thought.  
Considering how much the milk had elevated his father's already good mood when they arrived at the bar he did not want to know how it would effect a bad mood.

Thinking over options on how to turn his father's gloomy thoughts around, he finally came to a frightening conclusion. If the sight of him drinking more of this stuff would make his father happy then so be it.  
Staring down the cup of overpriced moo juice the boy gathered his courage and took a mighty swig, feeling every fiber of his being cry out in protest. By the time he smacked the glass back down on the table, he felt the room start to spin around him. His already tired nerves were now officially shot.

"There, I finished it" he said with a belch that threatened to do more than bring up air.  
"So you do like it after all! Bartender! Another."  
Chirin's forehead met the countertop with a heavy smack. He left his head against the hardwood and mumbled incoherently in frustration as another glass was set on the table.

Link paid him no mind as he drank down most of his third serving. The hero was reaching the limit of what his sleepless nerves could take, and it had been years since he'd even had the likes of this milk.  
As he set the glass down Link's thoughts drifted back to where they were earlier  
"Maybe she is genderless as Sheik? Now that I think of it, I'm not quite sure if Gorons have a gender either."

Chirin's head shot up, his tired eyes were scowling and blood-shot. He could not take stand to hear the likes of this topic anymore. All he wanted to do was go to bed. He'd snuck naps before around Kaepora and at least this time he had something to help find dream land faster.

He reached out for the freshly poured glass.

I"That's it, good night!"/I the boy said in his head.

The teenage boy downed the whole thing and slid to the floor, all the while Link was oblivious to everything but his own words.

"I never really looked into it when I was one I was so intent on stopping the moon from ending the world Crap now I want to know! I bet Tatl would know. Or maybe Navi. They seem to be full of pointless information."

"HEY!"

"Exactly! You see where I'm coming from, right Chirin?"

Link looked over to find his son smilingand completely passed out against the foot of the counter. Hovering above him was the small blue fairy who had been rudely wakend as the boy's head landed on the tile.  
She was not happy.

Until now, he had forgotten all about Naviand that she had blabbed to Zelda about the likes of this once before!

"Oh, shit!"  
Link leapt from his spot and caught her inside his hands. This stunned the poor fairy for a moment, but Navi recovered quickly as she heard Link's panicked voice.

"Forget you ever saw this, all right? Please don't tell Zelda! I hate to see her upset! I won't do it again! I swear!"

"Not on your life! You should have thought of that before you slipped up. Now unhand me, you idiot! You are normally such an innocent thing...But drinking yourself senseless at a time like this! And dragging Chirin along too!? Really? I mean what the heck!"

Navi squirmed out of his grasp and flew into his face a few times for good measure "You're going to be in a lot of trouble when we get back!" Link's stance became wobbly as he backed away from the ticked-off fairy. With wings flailing about he fell back into his seat.  
"See? You're so tipsy, you couldn't even walk right now, could you?"  
"I could catch you just fine, right?" he grinned boyishly, looking at her with sleepy eyes. It was getting late and the milk was lulling him to sleep.  
"That's not what I meant! What would you do if an enemy attacked you right now?"  
"I'd wipe the floor with 'em."  
"Somehow I doubt that."  
"You need to have more faith in me."

Link grinned confidently. Navi made a high pitched growl.  
"Oh regardless of that, what about Zelda! You promised her you would not drink this stuff! Even just a little bit makes you act funny and say strange things."  
"Wellshe's not queen of Termina right?" he drank the last of the bottle, Link's already tired mind and body were now officially loosing touch with his overloaded senses.

The hero just smiled at her sleepily. Navi growled in frustration "Don't you remember what you told me after the last time you had too much? You kept going on about some strange incident that you swore really did happen. That there were two Malons and you were a grasshopper and that there were cows being abducted by aliens!"

Her last words did not reach him. Link tipped forward, his cheek and hands landed on the counter as he started to snore unashamedly, a wide grin on his face. He was completely gone, but he seemed to be happy about it.  
The hero's blissfully dumb expression as he drooled on the counter resulted in Navi making an undignified, humorous snort.

After glaring at his sleeping face for a few moments, she sighed in defeat. The fairy supposed it was best for him to overindulge and have a good time while he could, considering all he had been through, and what might still lie ahead.

"What am I going to do with you?" Navi huffed as she curled up under his hand. "Fine. I won't tell Zelda, I doubt either of you are even going to remember this tomorrow" the fairy said as she glanced down at the green clad heap happily asleep on the floor.

"Just don't blame me if you wake up rambling about how a bunch of cows were abducted again"


	5. Sample - Ocarina of Time translated to f

Oh goddesses this place is awful." the blue flittering ball of light shuttered.  
"It's not as bad as the bottom of that well."  
"What? It seems about the same to me…at least so far." she said warily.  
"I'd say it's better than the well so far."  
"Wait, what? How can you say that?"  
"I am not a child this time around."  
"Oh…well…I did not change in size, so I see no difference." The fairy said, popping into his hat.  
This place felt like dejavu for Link, but so far it certainly was less intimidating than the well he faced as a small boy, with weapons deemed meager compared to a set of bow and arrows alongside the Master Sword...And furthermore, he had the Lense of Truth in his possession, meaning no more stumbling into unseen holes with undead horrors below.

"I bet this place is overrun with redeads."  
"Navi!"  
"what?"  
"Just quit it."  
"Quit what?"  
"Being a cucco."  
"But I haaaaate redeads."  
"They don't even touch you…it's me that they always come after and…" he paused and twitched slightly " Ugh, I really hate redeads."

"Just how big is this place" Link huffed "I have been mauled by redeads, harassed by stalfos, nearly cut in two by those damn guillotines…twice! I am, I am just exhausted." the hero said as she slumped to the floor landing flat on his bum. "I hope we are nearly done here."  
"I hate to say it Link, but, I have seen you like this before. You need some sleep."  
"Sleep? Here?" he said motioning with one hand "I don't think so" his words accentuated by the slap of his hand against his leg.  
"You need sleep, I am sure the sun has already set and risen at least once while we were in here. This place is too big to do all in one sweep."  
"I can keep going."  
"And face whatever foe awaits you at the end of this wretched place? More tired than you are now. I think not." she paused "Look, lets just go back to that small room you cleared out to get that key and rest there. I will keep watch like I always do."  
Link looked at her, first firmly and then sighed "…this is going to be the worst nap I've ever had."


End file.
